


The Tragedy of Jesse McCree

by TexanOutlaw149



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bandits & Outlaws, Gen, Western
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 12:04:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18620272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TexanOutlaw149/pseuds/TexanOutlaw149
Summary: A full-length, multi-chaptered fic outlining the day that Jesse McCree’s life changed forever. A day that sent him walking an outlaw’s path in search for justice, vengeance, and hope. This story will contain descriptions of violence, death, and sexual content, so reader’s discretion is advised.





	The Tragedy of Jesse McCree

The smell of smoke drifting on the summer wind filled a sleeping boy’s nostrils. The young man was lying beneath a tall oak tree on a plot of land that went as far as the eye could see. Nearby, cattle grazed on the golden grasses of the Texas prairie and a horse stomped the ground, anxious to get a move on. Texas heat was notoriously blistering and today was no exception. The boy had dismounted his horse an hour or so ago and hitched her to the tree he now lay under. He told himself he had no intention of falling asleep, but he was far from his father’s eyes and did not fear punishment. As such, he drifted off into dreamless sleep. 

The smell of smoke grew stronger, and the boy rustled nervously in his sleep. His eyes fought their way open and he saw billows of smoke trailing on the wind like some unholy specter. He sat up quickly, looking all around him. Nothing around him seemed to be on fire. So where was the smoke coming from?

His heart sank and he stumbled around the thick trunk of the tree, desperately hoping he was wrong. On the horizon, a cloud of black smoke so large it could’ve been mistaken for a thundercloud loomed over the prairie lands. The young ranch-hand knew immediately where the fire was coming from. He vaulted onto his saddle and spurred his horse sharply in that direction. “Hyah! Let’s go girl!” He commanded. 

His horse took off into full gallop, whinnying in understanding. She thundered through the prairie grass on approach to the hell-cloud. As they got closer and closer, his worst fears were realized. The smoke was coming from his home — the ranch he shared with his parents. It wasn’t just the house that was on fire, but the barns, the sheds, the coops, and the silos too. Everything was burning to the ground. The boy spurred his horse again, pushing her to go faster. 

As they approached the homestead, the young man practically launched himself from the saddle. He hit the ground hard and continued to roll to his feet. Pushing away thoughts of the worst, he willed his weary legs to run. “Mom?” He cried out frantically. “Dad?”

As he rounded the corner of the house, an arm snatched at his shirt and pulled him into the dark shelter of one of the stone pillars. The boy yelped in terror and started to thrash frantically. 

“Jesse!” 

The young man, Jesse, stopped. “Mama?” He looked up and saw the soot and ash covered face of his mother. He threw his arms around her and embraced her tightly. “Mom, what’s happening? Where is dad?” 

His mother’s brown eyes closed tightly for a moment as a look of absolute sorrow washed over her. “I don’t know, Jesse. I don’t know. There were gunshots. And then there was fire. Lots and lots of fire. Your father and I lost each other in the chaos.”

Just as Jesse was about to open his mouth to speak, a familiar voice called his mother’s name. “Maria! Maria, where are you?” Jesse peaked around the corner and watched as a figure came out of the smoke and shot his father in the back. His father yelled out in agony and hit the ground. Jesse saw that he was struggling to get back up, but he was alive. For now, that was enough for Jesse.

The man who held the gun was a short, plump man in his early sixties. Short, military-faded gray hair adorned his hatless head, and he worse a mustache curled at the ends upwards. Upon his duster coat sat a silver star that showed his authority as the county sheriff. The sheriff holstered his gun and held out his arms towards Jesse’s father. “We warned you this was coming, Eli. We gave you every chance to pay us what you owed.” 

His father shifted and rolled himself to his back, pushing himself up on his elbows to look at the sheriff. He groaned as he did so, gritting his teeth. Jesse started towards his father, but was held back by Maria. “What I owed? My father owned this ranch, sheriff. As did his father before him. I have never had a payment to make on this land in my life. Just because you and the Cambridge’s decided you want my land, doesn’t mean it belongs to you.”

The sheriff smiled and shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong, Eli. This land is ours now. As for your family, if they’re not dead already, they’re free to go. As for you?” Next came a motion so fast, Jesse wouldn’t have known what happened if it hadn’t been for the gunshot. His father collapsed to the ground, lifeless, as a dark hole directly between his eyes poured blood into his hair and into the dirt. 

“No!” Jesse cried from hiding. Now, he tugged himself free from his mother’s grip and fell to his knees at his father’s body. He looked hopelessly at the body as his mother somberly made her way over as well. 

The sheriff holstered his gun again and clicked his tongue at them. “So. You two _are_ alive. You’ve heard what I had to say. You have seventy-two hours. If I see you again after that, you’ll be joining your father.”

Jesse stood slowly and faced the sheriff. Tears streamed down his face, and his lips twisted into a snarl. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch. I’ll kill you.”

The sheriff laughed once again. “I doubt that, boy.” He turned and vanished back through the smoke. “Seventy-two hours,” he called back to them. 

Jesse watched his mother collapse into her husband’s chest, sobs wracking her body. Jesse walked over next to her and fell to his knees once more. He placed a reassuring hand on his mother’s back, but he shed no more tears. Deep within his heart, sadness was being drowned out by pure hatred. Hatred and the desire to kill.


End file.
